纵虎归山 zòng hǔ guī shān release the tiger back to the mountains

Explanation

比喻把坏人放回老巢，留下祸根。

It is a metaphor for releasing a bad person back to their lair, leaving behind a source of trouble.

Origin Story

东汉末年，群雄逐鹿，曹操势力强大，却始终忌惮刘备的才能。刘备投奔曹操后，表面上韬光养晦，暗地里却积极发展势力。曹操的谋士程昱看出了刘备的野心，多次劝谏曹操除掉刘备，以免后患无穷。但曹操出于各种考虑，最终没有听从程昱的建议，反而给了刘备兵马，让他去攻打袁术。程昱忧心忡忡，叹息道：“主公此举，如同纵虎归山，日后必成大患！”果然，刘备借此机会壮大了实力，最终成为与曹操抗衡的三国鼎立之一。这个故事警示人们，对待潜在的威胁，不能心存侥幸，要防患于未然，否则将后患无穷。

dōnghàn mònián, qúnxióng zhúlù, cáo cāo shì lì qiángdà, què shǐzhōng jìdàn liú bèi de cáinéng. liú bèi tóubēn cáo cāo hòu, biǎomiànshàng tāoguāng yǎnghuì, àndìli què jījí fāzhǎn shì lì. cáo cāo de móushī chéng yù kàn chūle liú bèi de yěxīn, duō cì quànjiàn cáo cāo chú diào liú bèi, yǐmiǎn hòuhuàn wú qióng. dàn cáo cāo chūyú gè zhǒng kǎolǜ, zuìzhōng méiyǒu tīng cóng chéng yù de jiànyì, fǎn'ér gěile liú bèi bīng mǎ, ràng tā qù gōngdǎ yuán shù. chéng yù yōuxīn chōngchōng, tànxī dào: “zhǔgōng cǐ jǔ, rútóng zòng hǔ guī shān, rì hòu bì chéng dà huàn!” guǒrán, liú bèi jiè cǐ jīhuì zhuàng dàle shì lì, zuìzhōng chéngwéi yǔ cáo cāo kànghéng de sān guó dǐnglì zhī yī. zhège gùshì jǐngshì rénmen, duìdài qiánzài de wēixié, bùnéng xīncún jiǎoxìng, yào fánghuàn yú wèirán, fǒuzé jiāng hòuhuàn wú qióng.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, various warlords fought for dominance. Cao Cao was very powerful, but he always feared Liu Bei's abilities. After Liu Bei joined Cao Cao, he outwardly pretended to be inconspicuous, but secretly he actively developed his power. Cao Cao's advisor Cheng Yu saw Liu Bei's ambition and repeatedly advised Cao Cao to eliminate Liu Bei to avoid future troubles. But Cao Cao, for various reasons, did not follow Cheng Yu's advice, but instead gave Liu Bei troops to attack Yuan Shu. Cheng Yu was worried and sighed: "My lord, this move is like releasing a tiger back into the mountains; it will become a great danger in the future!" Indeed, Liu Bei used this opportunity to strengthen his power and eventually became one of the three powerful rulers in the Three Kingdoms era who resisted Cao Cao. This story warns people not to rely on luck when dealing with potential threats, but to prevent problems in advance, otherwise they will face endless troubles.

Usage

常用作谓语、宾语；比喻把坏人放回老巢，留下祸根。

cháng yòng zuò wèiyǔ, bīnyǔ; bǐyù bǎ huài rén fàng huí lǎocháo, liúxià huògēn.

Often used as a predicate or object; a metaphor for releasing a bad person back to their lair, leaving behind a source of trouble.

Examples

• 他这样做简直是纵虎归山，后患无穷！

  tā zhèyàng zuò jiǎnzhí shì zòng hǔ guī shān, hòuhuàn wú qióng!

  His actions are tantamount to releasing a tiger back to the mountains—leaving behind endless troubles!

• 放走这个罪犯无异于纵虎归山，迟早会酿成大祸。

  fàng zǒu zhège zuìfàn wúyì yú zòng hǔ guī shān, chízǎo huì niàng chéng dà huò.

  Letting this criminal go is equivalent to releasing a tiger back to the mountains; it will sooner or later cause great harm.

• 轻易放过他，无异于纵虎归山。

  qīngyì fàng guò tā, wúyì yú zòng hǔ guī shān。

  To let him go easily is equivalent to releasing a tiger back to the mountains.

Related Idioms

• 养虎遗患

• 养痈贻患

• 后患无穷

Opposite Idioms

• 斩草除根

• 除恶务尽

• 斩尽杀绝